The hysteria over Windows 95 launch, 20 years ago

Aug. 24, 1995

Mikol Furneaux waves two copies of Windows 95 at a midnight launch at a store in Sydney, Australia.

Image: TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images

Twenty years ago, amid great fanfare, Microsoft released Windows 95, its feverishly anticipated new operating system.

The launch was hyped by a $300 million marketing campaign, including a “cyber sitcom” showing off the new featuresFriends stars Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry made cameos. Commercials for Windows 95 played The Rolling Stones song “Start Me Up,” heralding the introduction of the now-iconic Start button.

In addition to the Start button, Windows 95 introduced the task bar, and added support for filenames up to 250 characters (a thrilling feature at the time) and “Plug and Play” support for installing new hardware Read more...